Choreography
This subtopic focuses on the initial stages of the choreographic process, where learners explore a range of forms, genres, styles, techniques, and contexts to generate and develop creative ideas that effectively communicate their artistic intentions in response to a stimulus set by WJEC.
Subtopics in this area
Topic Overview
Choreography is the art of designing and structuring movement to create a dance. In WJEC GCSE Dance, you will learn to develop your own choreographic intentions, select and manipulate actions, space, dynamics, and relationships (ASDR), and structure a dance that communicates meaning to an audience. This topic is central to the course because it allows you to express your creativity and understanding of dance as an art form, and it is assessed through both a written exam and a practical choreography task (worth 30% of the final grade).
Mastering choreography involves understanding how to use choreographic devices such as motif and development, contrast, and climax to build a coherent dance. You will also need to consider the use of aural setting (music/sound), lighting, costume, and staging to enhance your choreographic intention. This topic connects to performance and appreciation, as you must be able to justify your choices and evaluate how they contribute to the overall impact of the dance. By the end of the course, you should be able to create a solo or group dance that demonstrates clear structure, originality, and effective communication of ideas.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Choreographic intention: the aim or purpose of the dance, including the mood, theme, or story you want to convey.
- →Actions, Space, Dynamics, and Relationships (ASDR): the four core components of dance that you manipulate to create movement content.
- →Choreographic devices: tools like motif and development, repetition, contrast, climax, and canon/unison that help structure and develop movement.
- →Structuring a dance: using a clear beginning, middle, and end, with logical transitions and a sense of journey or development.
- →Aural setting: selecting and responding to music or sound, including rhythm, tempo, and mood, to support the choreographic intention.
What You Need to Demonstrate
Key skills and knowledge for this topic
- Creation of a piece in response to a stimulus set by WJEC
- Evidence of exploration of a range of forms, genres, styles, techniques, contexts, and means of presenting dance
- Development of ideas to realise artistic intentions
- Effective communication of artistic intent to an audience
- Showcasing of creative ideas through the final choreographed piece
- Successful realisation of the choreography for performance
- Refinement and development of movement material inspired by the stimulus
- Application of the core components of choreography (RADS: Relationship, Action, Dynamics, Space)
Marking Points
Key points examiners look for in your answers
- Creation of a piece in response to a stimulus set by WJEC
- Evidence of exploration of a range of forms, genres, styles, techniques, contexts, and means of presenting dance
- Development of ideas to realise artistic intentions
- Effective communication of artistic intent to an audience
- Showcasing of creative ideas through the final choreographed piece
- Successful realisation of the choreography for performance
- Refinement and development of movement material inspired by the stimulus
- Application of the core components of choreography (RADS: Relationship, Action, Dynamics, Space)
- Application of choreographic devices (e.g., retrograde, repetition, change of tempo, rhythm)
- Application of structural devices (e.g., motif development, unison, canon, contrast, highlights)
- Application of choreographic structures (e.g., binary, ternary, rondo, episodic structures)
- Ability to reflect on, analyse, and evaluate their own choreographic work
- Critical evaluation of the effectiveness of the choreography
- Critical evaluation of the impact of the choreography
- Evidence of refinement and development of the work through the reflective process
Examiner Tips
Expert advice for maximising your marks
- 💡Ensure the choreographed piece is directly linked to the chosen stimulus set by WJEC
- 💡Use the exploration phase to broaden your understanding of different styles and contexts before finalising your artistic intentions
- 💡Ensure the artistic intent is clear and consistent throughout the piece
- 💡Consider the audience perspective when refining the final presentation of the choreography
- 💡Ensure the choreography is a direct response to the WJEC-set stimulus.
- 💡Use the full range of RADS (Relationship, Action, Dynamics, Space) to add depth to the movement.
- 💡Ensure the chosen choreographic structures create a cohesive piece rather than just a series of disconnected movements.
- 💡Refer to Appendix A for a broader range of devices and structures to enhance the complexity of the work.
- 💡Ensure the Reflective Log is maintained throughout the choreographic process rather than written only at the end.
- 💡Focus on the 'why' and 'how' of choreographic decisions, not just a description of what was done.
- 💡Use specific dance terminology when evaluating the effectiveness of choreographic devices and structures.
- 💡Always start with a clear choreographic intention. Examiners look for a consistent thread throughout the dance, so every movement choice should link back to your intention.
- 💡Use a range of choreographic devices, especially motif and development. Show that you can take a simple movement and develop it in different ways (e.g., change dynamics, direction, or level).
- 💡Consider the use of space: pathways, levels, and formations. A dance that uses the whole performance space and varies levels (high, medium, low) is more visually interesting and scores higher marks.
Common Mistakes
Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers
- Misconception: Choreography is just about making up steps. Correction: It involves careful planning, selection, and manipulation of movement to communicate a specific intention, not just random steps.
- Misconception: You must use a narrative or story. Correction: Choreography can be abstract (no story) or narrative; both are valid as long as the intention is clear.
- Misconception: The music must match the movement exactly. Correction: You can use contrast between movement and music (e.g., sharp movements to slow music) to create interest, as long as it serves the intention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of dance actions (travel, turn, jump, gesture, stillness) and dynamics (e.g., fast/slow, strong/light).
- •Familiarity with the ASDR framework from earlier units in the course.
- •Experience of watching and analysing professional dance works to understand how choreographers create meaning.
Likely Command Words
How questions on this topic are typically asked
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